Behind Those Eyes
by BeanieCatsune
Summary: UPDATE: Due to my lack of interest and disappointment on how this story is turning out I will no longer continue it: Matt begins to act strange at school. Jackie and Inez attempt to find out the problem, but that proves to be difficult as Matt seems to avoid them wherever they go. (Annabel belongs to DannyPhantomPH from deviantArt)
1. Strange Behavior

Inez sped down the school hallway, heading for her Math class. "This is not good. This is not good at all!" she squeaked, clutching her Math textbook tightly in her hand. She was going to be late for the morning class because her alarm clock had broken. The young girl was running so fast that she wasn't focused on her surroundings and ran straight into someone.

"Oaf!" Inez fell to the floor, dropping her book. She quickly picked it up and got to her feet. As she looked to see who she'd crashed into, she gasped as she saw he friend Jackie on the floor. "Oh gosh, Jacks, I'm so sorry!" The brown haired girl reached her hand out to help up her friend.

"It's ok, Inez," Jackie took her friend's hand and got up.

"What are you doing out here? Math class is about to start."

"I was looking for Matt. I haven't seen him all day. Have you?"

"No," Inez answered, shaking her head. "Maybe he's already in class."

"Matt. Going to class _that_ early. I doubt it." Jackie said doubtfully, yet sassily.

"It's possible." The brown haired child shook her head to get her mind back on track. "What are we doing?! Class is gonna start soon!"

The African-American girl giggled. "You and always being on time to class, Inez."

"Hey, I only want to be a good student." Inez shot off to the classroom as soon as the bell rang. Jackie followed close on her heels.

The two girls took their usual seats as soon as they got to class. There were already a few students in the class, but none of them were Matt, as far as Jacks and Inez could tell.

"I don't see Matt," Jackie whispered to her friend, getting a look of concern.

"Maybe he's just running late. Or maybe he's not feeling well." The black-haired girl had a tendency to overreact a little, so it was no surprise to Inez that her friend was becoming so concerned.

"Maybe…"

Five minutes had passed. All the students were at their seats and the teacher had already begun class, but there was no sign of Matt. Both girls shifted a little in their seats. Matt wasn't usually this late. Sure, he wasn't the most punctual student, but he normally got to school near the time their first class started.

 _Maybe he's been held up by work at the farm. Or maybe his clock broke, like mine._ Inez was trying to keep calm. She gave her head another shake. _Calm down. Matt's fine._

"Someone's coming," Jacks whispered to the Hispanic girl. Both females looked as they head footsteps approaching the class. The class looked and the teacher stopped as someone walked through the door and stopped in the doorway. Inez beamed. _Matt!_

Matt froze and looked around the room, blushing a little out of embarrassment for being this late.

"Matthew, you're 5 minutes late for Math class," their teacher, Mrs. Charlemagne, said in a stern voice.

Matt lowered his head and gripped his backpack strap. "S-sorry ma'am."

"Nevermind. Just take a seat."

Matthew weaved his way around the desks, searching for a place to sit. Inez and Jackie gave small waves to him. Matt saw and returned the wave. The African-American girl motioned for him to come over and sit beside them, but the ginger instead just looked away and sat in a seat at the very back of the class. The two girls gave each other confused looks, then shrugged a little and turned to face Mrs. Charlemagne as she began her teachings again.

Inez continually glanced back towards Matt, wondering if something was bothering him, until she saw something she hadn't noticed before. The intellectual girl gazed as him as she noticed what looked like… bruises… several of them, on his face, as well as dried blood under his nose. Had her red-headed friend gotten into a fight before he arrived at school? Was that why he was late? The brunette became even more concerned as she noticed Matt staring sadly down at his desk, twisting a pencil.

"Inez!"

The girl was startled from her thoughts as their teacher called her name sharply. "Yes Mrs. Charlemagne?" she asked, looking back at the woman and straightening up.

"Stop staring and start paying attention."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

"You're forgiven." The woman went back to teaching. As hard as Inez tried to pay close attention, her thoughts kept drifting back to Matthew, and what could have happened to him.

As the day went on, Matt was hardly seen. He didn't talk at all in or after class, wandered around alone during recess, and seemed to disappear in between periods. This only made Inez and Jackie even more curious and concerned. The two planned to catch him when school got out and ask him what was wrong. They tried to find him just as the students ran out of their last class upon the ringing of the bell, but to their misfortune they lost him in the crowd, and couldn't see him anywhere after the kids had left the building.

"What's wrong with him?" Inez questioned, scratching her head.

"I don't know. But we're not gonna find out today… unfortunately." Jackie replied, rubbing her arm and looking down.

"We'll have to catch him tomorrow then. Come on, let's board the bus."

The two girls got aboard the bus and sat next to each other. Neither of them spoke, except when they got off at their stops and said goodbye. They were too worried about their friend. What could be troubling him so much?

* * *

Matthew walked solemnly down the street, heading for his house. He had left school as early as possible and walked instead of taking the bus. He didn't want to talk to Inez or Jackie. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. The young boy tried to remember the route to his family farm. He stopped on a street corner, trying to recall which way to take.

"Uh… I-I thought it was left… but maybe I take a left on the next block," Matt puzzled.

"Watch out!"

The red-haired boy fell back as a bicycler sped right past him. He sighed and looked down. "It's gonna be dark by the time I figure out how to get home." Matt glanced over to the other side of the street and noticed a bus stop. He may not remember which way to take walking home, but he did remember the bus stops near the farm. Getting up, he ran over to the other side of the street and sat down in the bus stop bench. The young boy locked his fingers together and twiddled his thumbs nervously.

"Hey. Hey kid. Hello!"

Matt jumped and looked up as a gruff female voice called to him. His mind was reeling so much he hadn't noticed the bus pull up right in front of him. The driver was an older woman with tan skin and greying hair.

"You getting on or what?" she asked, seeming tired and more than ready to get off her shift.

"Y-yeah," Matthew stuttered. He grabbed his backpack, which he had set beside him earlier, and boarded the bus. The young boy was about to go sit down when he heard the driver call for him again.

"Hey kiddo, ya gotta pay." The woman pointed to the cash box.

"Oh, right." Matt reached into his backpack and pulled two crumpled dollar bills and handed them to the woman. Before she could even thank him, the red-haired boy found a seat in the far back of the bus, away from most of the current passengers, and sat down. The bus was busy this time of day, which made young Matthew all the more uncomfortable. He kept his gaze out the window, hoping this would keep the other passengers from bothering him. Any other day he'd be glad to talk to anyone that decided to say so much as a hello, but today had been hard for him, and all he wanted at this point was to be left alone.

 _How am I going to explain this to Jacks and Inez?_ The thought suddenly crossed the young boy's mind. _All day tomorrow they'll be asking why I avoided them. … I'll just have to say I was in a bad mood._

* * *

Inez tapped her pencil against her desk as she sat in the empty Math classroom. The classrooms were usually her place to come when she needed a quiet place to think, her and all the other nerds of the school, seeing as nobody else ever came to class minutes before the bell rang. The glasses-wearing brunette put her index fingers together and touched them to her mouth, closing her eyes as she began to get lost in her train of thought.

"What are you thinking about, Inez?"

Inez looked to see Claire, a black haired girl with a lean figure and blue eyes. She was a nerd, much like Inez, so it was no surprise that she had come to the Math classroom this early as well. Claire took a seat in the desk beside the brunette.

"Hey Claire. I'm wondering about Matt."

"What about him?"

Inez shot the black haired girl a surprised look. "Jacks and I couldn't have been the only ones that noticed he was acting weird yesterday. Didn't you notice it to?"

Claire shrugged. "I don't hang around him, so I wouldn't know."

"But he's usually so happy and optimistic. I would've thought everybody noticed that about him."

Claire paused for a moment, tapping her chin. "Now that I think about it, he did seem somewhat depressed yesterday."

"Exactly!" Inez chimed. "I've never seen him looking that depressed before."

"He's human," the black-haired girl responded. "He has emotions like us. Maybe he was just having a bad day."

"Maybe, but he usually tries to hide his sadness or says what's bothering him. And yesterday, he just completely avoided us."

"He'll perk up." Claire gave her classmate a kind smile. "Just give him time."

The brunette smiled and nodded. "You're right. I'm probably just overthinking things."

"Like always," the black-haired girl teased.

Inez smiled and let out a giggle.

 _RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!_

Kids began walking into class upon the bell ring. Inez stretched her neck to see if she could spot Jackie and Matt. She smiled as Jackie came running over and sat down in the other desk beside her.

"How's Matt?" Inez asked with a smile.

Jackie shot her a surprised look. "I was hoping he'd be with _you_."

The Hispanic girl frowned almost instantly. "I haven't seen him at all today."

The black girl got a worried expression. "He's late _again_? Oh no."

Inez lightly patted her friend on the back. She wanted to say something to calm her down, but nothing came to mind. If Matt was depressed this bad, then it was worth being concerned about.

The two girls, and most of the other students, looked as Matthew came stumbling in a minute after class had started. He blushed out of embarrassment and looked down.

"Matthew," Mrs. Charlemagne rasped, "you're late again."

Matt barely muttered a "Sorry" before heading over to a desk in the very back once more. Inez and Jackie both frowned upon seeing his state. He looked even more beaten and battered than yesterday, and he appeared to be limping on his left leg.

"He looks even worse today," Jacks whispered to Inez.

"I know. Something's definitely up. We need to talk to him today," Inez whispered back.

Though that proved to be just as difficult as yesterday. The same routine followed: the two tried hard to catch Matt and speak to him, but their red-headed friend just kept on running and avoiding them.

"Ugggh! We're never going to catch him!" Jackie shouted in frustration after trying to find Matt before 5th period.

Inez leaned against the wall and slumped to the floor, feeling defeated for the day. "Forget it, Jacks. Let's just try again tomorrow."

The next day proved just as difficult as the next, and the next. No matter what Jackie and Inez did, they could never catch Matt. Not only that, but each day Matthew was looking worse and worse. Jackie was starting to lose her patients while Inez was becoming more and more concerned.

The brunette girl was sitting in Math class once more, before the class had started. She chewed nervously on her pencil and tapped her finger against the desk rapidly. Inez jumped as she heard the classroom door suddenly slam open and looked to see Jackie storm in angrily.

"That's it! We're sneaking up on Matt today and catching him when he's cornered!" Jackie sat down in the desk beside Inez again, carelessly plopping her backpack beside her and letting out a loud annoyed sigh.

"Jackie, are you crazy! We can't do that! It'll scare him!" Inez squeaked, gripping the back of her chair with one hand.

"You got any better ideas, four eyes!?" The seething girl turned sharply and faced her friend with an angered look.

Inez flinched back and saddened, her eyes beginning to water. She was stressed enough about their friend as it was. She didn't need her other friend calling her names and snapping at her.

Jackie appeared to notice how much she hurt Inez, as she sighed and her gaze softened. "Look, Inez, I'm sorry, but I don't know what else to do. No matter what we try, Matt just avoids us. If you have a better idea, I'd honestly love to hear it, because I'm not too fond of my idea either."

Inez sighed and looked down. "No… I don't. You're right Jacks, this is our only option at this point."

Jackie nodded.

"So when do we do it?" Inez asked, looking back at her friend.

"When we get the chance. We'll follow Matt around and spy on him, then when he's cornered we'll trap him and get try to finally talk to him."

The glasses-wearing girl flinched. Though this might be their only option, it still didn't seem right. Considering Matt's state, cornering and interrogating him would probably stress him further. Inez shook her head. _This is the only way._

 _RIIIIIIIING!_

As usual, students walked into class and took their seats. The two girls cast subtle, unnoticed glances towards the door. Once all the students we seated, Mrs. Charlemagne began class. Jackie and Inez let out small sighs as Matt was once again late. Inez didn't even care about class this time. She just wanted to see her friend.

Halfway through Math class, Inez heard someone stumble through the door. The whole class turned and looked. It was Matt.

The young boy had fallen to the ground and was panting. He used a desk to help himself up. Inez saddened as she noticed him wincing in pain and gripping his side, his eye bruised and beginning to swell. Not only that, but when he tried to walk, his leg buckled and he let out a slight yelp of pain.

"Goodness gracious, Matthew! What on Earth happened to you?" Mrs. Charlemagne screeched.

Matt pushed himself up and spoke in a pained tone. "I-I'm f-fine."

"You're certainly not! I won't have you be in agony the whole day. Claire! Take him to the nurse's office."

"Yes ma'am." The black-haired girl got up out of her seat and approached Matt.

"B-but class- Ah!" The young boy gripped his side harder.

"Class can wait." Mrs. Charlemagne spoke in a stern tone.

"Come on, Matthew. Let's get you tended." Clair took Matt's arm and put it over her shoulders, then wrapped her other arm around him and helped him to the nurse's office. Matt willingly followed, his head low and looking defeated. Inez and Jackie shot each other horrified glances. The brunette was now fully willing to sneak up on him. This was getting too serious to ignore. She wanted answers, and she wanted them today.

* * *

Matt lay on the bed in the nurse's office, holding an icepack to his heavily bruised side and keeping his back turned to the door. His fractured leg was now wrapped in an ace bandage and a bloody tissue for his nose and mouth lay beside him. The young boy curled up a little as he heard footsteps approaching him, keeping his eyes on the wall.

"You doing ok, sweetie?" asked Nurse Janice. She was a kind woman with curly light brown hair and in a bob cut. Her voice always had a sort of edge to it, but that didn't subtract from her kind demeanor.

Matt only nodded in response.

"Would you like me to call your dad and have him come take you home?"

Matt quickly lifted his head and looked at her. "N-no. I-I'm fine."

Nurse Janice jumped a little. "A-are you sure, honey?"

Matthew nodded and pushed himself up. "I think I'm ready to go now."

"Ok. Just hang on one moment." The woman left for a moment, then came back with a crutch in her hand. She handed it to Matt. "Take this. That way you won't have such a hard time walking."

The red-haired boy nodded and took the crutch in his hand, using it to help himself up. He walked over to the door and looked to the nurse before leaving. "Thank you."

"Have a good day, dear."

Matt left, heading down the hall to his locker. Math class would be over by now, so he might as well gather his books for Language Arts. Little was he aware of two girls following him.

Jackie and Inez tip-toed across the floor as they followed Matt, being sure to keep out of his sight. Inez started feeling sick with guilt.

"I'm beginning to have second thoughts, Jacks," she whispered to the African-American girl.

"Shh!" Jackie hushed her friend and kept her eyes on Matt. Inez peeked around the corner and saw the ginger boy getting his Language Arts book from his locker. His expression was dull and solemn, and she just now noticed the dark circles under his half-lidded eyes. Seeing him looking so miserable made her even sadder.

 _What happened to the Matt I used to know?_

Matt closed his locker and walked away, using his crutch to help him, and Jackie once again gave silent chase. Inez followed close on her heels, making her steps as light as possible. The two girls continued to follow him until they arrived in the restroom area. It was at the hallway's dead end.

"This is a good spot." Jackie whispered low enough for only Inez to hear. She looked to her friend. "You block the bathroom door and then I'll corner him before he can run."

Inez nodded and gulped nervously. She hated doing this, but it was either this or continue to let their friend suffer. Jackie waited until Matt was nearing the bathroom, then she gave a small hand signal and whispered "Go". Inez took in a deep breath and ran as fast as she could for the boy's bathroom. She could see Matt jump as she sped past him, and she stood in front of the door and held her arms out. The young boy turned and tried to make a run for it, but Jackie quickly ran out and blocked his path.

"Matt, wait!" Jackie stared at him with worry and concern in her eyes. "Please don't run this time!"

Matt slowly backed away from her, fear on his face. He tried to make his way around the black girl, but every direction he tried to run she would always block it.

"Matt please, we just need to talk to you," Jackie said in an attempt to ease her friend.

But it didn't seem to work. The ginger boy backed away into a corner after finding no way to escape, his eyes now turning watery. Jackie slowly paced towards him, the same concern in her eyes. Inez began to walk over as well.

"Matthew, it's alright." She held out her hands cautiously, trying to keep Matthew calm. "We've been so worried about you. We just want to know what's going on."

The boy slowly slid down on the wall until he was sitting on the tile floor, dropping his crutch and book in the process. Tears swelled more in his wide eyes until they were streaming down his cheeks.

"Stop it…" his voice was barely a whisper. "Stop it… you're scaring me."

"Matty, it's us; your best friends. You know we'd never hurt you," Jackie coaxed.

"Stop it!" The sudden outburst from their red-haired friend made them both jump. "Leave me alone!" Matt began to curl up and huddle farther into the corner.

The two girls looked at each other sadly, then took a few paces back. They looked back at him, frowning at how scared and pathetic he looked.

Jackie lowered her voice almost to a whisper. "Matt, you don't have to be afraid of us. We just don't understand-"

Before she could finish, someone called from behind them.

"Hey! What are you doing to him?!"

The two girls looked at who called to them. Before they could get a good look, someone shoved them out of the way and ran over to Matt. They stopped and looked down at the frightened child. She was a girl, older by a few years, with brown hair tied in a ponytail and hard, yet kind violet eyes. She was wearing a blue hoodie and a black skirt, and was carrying a few books in her hands. The girl stared down at Matt with worry in her gaze.

"Are you alright?" she spoke softly.

"Go away…" The words were almost inaudible from Matt's mouth. His friends stared helplessly at the two.

The girl reached a hand out to the ginger boy. "Here, let me help you." But instead of taking her hand, Matthew smacked it away and began to back further into the corner.

"Go away! Leave me alone!" The young boy's cheeks glistened with tears as they rolled down faster. He wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them to his chest. "I just want everybody to leave me alone!"

The girl's expression turned to a sad one, and she looks over to the two young girls. "I think you should go," she spoke in a stern voice. Her eyes narrowed at them.

Jackie and Inez stood there, feeling reluctant to leave. They turned their gaze back to Matt for a brief moment, then began taking slow steps back, until they eventually turned and left. Their heads were lowered and their eyes turned to the floor.

The brunette let her expression turn to a much gentler one as she looked back at the frightened child in front of her. Matt sniffled and wiped his tears away with his sleeve, then began picking up his things with shaky hands. The girl gently set her hand on his shoulder only to jerk it away as Matt started and dropped his things again, including his crutch which fell with a loud "CLANG", and seemed to startle him as well.

"I-I'm-I'm sorry." The child's voice shook slightly as he talked. A few small tears still streamed down his cheeks. He got back to picking his things up, his crutch being the last. Matthew attempted to get back up, only for his injured leg to buckle. The girl managed to catch him before he could make contact with the ground.

"Here." She took him in her arms, carrying him like a small child. Using one arm to hold him, she carried his books and crutch in the other and made her way down the hall. Matt wrapped his arms around her and rested his head against her shoulder.

"I'm Annabel," she said in a soft tone.

"Matt…" was all that the young boy said. He remained quiet for the rest of the walk. He hadn't really been paying attention to the way they were going, but when he really started to look around he realized it was a different direction than any class he took. Eventually they arrived at the cafeteria, which was empty at this hour. Annabel walked over to the one of the tables and set Matt's things aside. She then set him down on the bench and sat down beside him. Matt stared down and gripped his pant-leg uncomfortably. His chest began to hurt as he took in short, quick gasps and sniffled. He wiped away the fresh tears with his sleeve again. The young boy tensed as he felt Annabel pull him close.

"It's ok, sweetie." She stroked his hair gently. "You can cry all you want here."

Matt bit his lip as he tried to keep himself together. The gasps became harder, making his chest hurt worse. In the end, he couldn't hold back the tears forever, and buried his face into her shoulder as he sobbed uncontrollably. Annabel stroked his back and rocked him slowly after pulling him onto her lap. The ginger's tears began to soak her hoodie, and if she noticed, she didn't care. After some time, the waterworks stopped coming and Matt was left only making sobbing sounds. He sniffled and wiped his face with his sleeve.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered.

"Don't be." The teenage girl continued to rock him gently. Matt sat in silence, staring down at his lap. He lifted his head as a tissue was held in front of him. "Here." The young boy took it, mumbling a thanks before wiping his nose with it. He fumbled the tissue in his hands as he stared down at his lap.

"Did they hurt you at all?" Matt's only response was a shake of his head. "What were they doing to you?" Annabel asked. The young boy didn't answer. He didn't want to talk about this. "It wasn't ok for them to do that. I saw how scared it made you." Matt shifted uncomfortably in her lap.

 _Please shut up about it_ , he thought.

"You know, if they do this to you a lot, then it's alright to tell somebody." Annabel's tone was soft and somewhat soothing, but the subject matter only made Matthew more and more uneasy. He didn't want to talk about what his friends had done a few minutes ago. He just wanted to forget the whole incident.

Apparently Annabel got the message and stopped talking. She held him close and continued rocking him gently, but Matt wasn't in the mood for her affection anymore. He gently pushed her away and gathered his books, then grabbed his crutch and limped out the cafeteria, leaving Annabel to stare after him sadly.


	2. Having a Talk

Jackie and Inez sat in Language Arts class, staring down at their desks. The African-American girl twiddled her thumbs as the teacher gave the lesson. She wasn't even paying attention to what the man was saying, nor did she even care. Jackie was too sick with guilt to care about learning at the moment. As the black-haired girl cast a glance over to her friend, she could see that Inez was feeling just as bad. The Hispanic girl stared down at her desk as well, her head propped up and not seeming to care about the class at all. Jackie sighed and looked back down at her school desk.

"This is all my fault," she whispered, only loud enough so Inez could hear.

"It's just as much my fault too," Inez muttered at the same volume. "I-I should have known it wouldn't work. I should have talked you out of it."

"I doubt you could've. I-I was getting so desperate. I probably would have done it anyway."

Inez let out a sigh and let her gaze fall back to the wooden desk. "We've made a big mistake. But… maybe we can fix it."

"I don't see how… not at this point."

"There still might be a chance. W-we just need a chance to explain things to him."

The two girls locked eyes for a moment. By the looks in their eyes, they could tell they were thinking the same thing. _How_ would they get a chance to explain?

Meanwhile, Matt sat on the stairs at the front of the school building. He couldn't go to class. Not now, it was too late. He'd risk drawing too much attention to himself if he walked in now, and that was the last thing he needed. The boy let out a miserable sigh. This day had been horrible from the very beginning. He wanted to blame somebody. He wanted to blame Jackie and Inez… but he couldn't. It wasn't their fault. It wasn't their fault they were so worried. All they were trying to do was help; they just wanted to know what was wrong with him, and he wanted to tell them. Matt wanted to tell them more than anything, but he couldn't. They wouldn't understand. Or worse, they would try to help and only get hurt themselves, or maybe even be angry at him for keeping it a secret for so long. The ginger felt a sob starting to rise in his throat again. Matt bit his lip in an attempt to hold back the tears, but he wasn't strong enough and began to cry again. Warm tears ran down his cheeks, and he heard himself let out a whimper.

Out of nowhere, the boy felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Startling, he spun his head to see who the hand belonged too. It was her again, Annabel, sitting beside him. He hadn't even heard her approaching footsteps.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." She frowned slightly in concern.

 _Why? She barely knows me. Why does she care so much about me?_ Matt sniffled and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. "What do you want?" he asked in an attempt to sound cold, but his voice was shaking too much.

Annabel patted his back gently. "I want to help you. I thought you could use someone to talk to."

Matt turned away from her, lightly swatting the hand away. "Just leave me alone."

"No, I know I can help. Let's talk this out. I'll understand-"

"No you won't!" The ginger boy felt tears of anger welling in his eyes. "You don't know anything! You won't understand anything! Just go away!" Arms began to wrap around him, but out of sudden fear and rising anger he shoved the girl away, causing her to fall over. Annabel let out a yelp of pain as she hit the concrete steps. Matt froze. All his anger disappeared and was replaced with horror and concern. _Oh God, I didn't mean to…_

"I-I'm sorry…" he began to tremble, and his voice shook even worse. "Oh God I'm so sorry."

The young girl sat up and tried to give a calm smile. "It's ok-"

"I'm so sorry!" Matt felt another sob rising in his throat again. Without warning, he got to his feet and ran off, leaving his crutches and his books. He limped and his leg screamed in pain, but he ignored it. He needed to get away from her, away from his school, away from his life. Sniffling, the child wiped his oncoming tears away with his sleeve. He didn't get far before Annabel caught up to him and grabbed him firmly by the shoulder.

"Hey, it's alright. I just hit an old untended wound. I'm fine." Lifting up her hoodie and shirt, she revealed an old mangled scar on her side.

But Matt didn't look and kept his back turned to her, his arms wrapped around himself. "Go away! Just leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you! You don't know anything!" He sniffled. "I just want to be left alone…"

The ginger boy felt arms wrapping gently around him again, and this time the pulled him in for a comforting hug. He didn't shove her away this time. He didn't have the energy for it. All the boy wanted to do right now was cry, but he forced himself to keep it in.

The girl rubbed his shoulder gently and spoke in a calming tone. "Shhh… it's alright sweetie. You did nothing wrong. Just settle down, I don't want you to cause any further harm to yourself. It'll be alright."

The young boy gently pushed away. "No, it won't." He wiped his cheeks with his sleeve again. "You wouldn't understand what it's like. Please… just go away."

Annabel stared at him, her expression faltering into slight irritation. "You think I won't understand? Try being afraid of your own stepdad." Matt went silent and stared up at her, his eyes wide and almost unblinking. The teen began to sweat nervously, visibly regretting what she had said. "No, that's not what I meant-" She sighed and looked at him with a forced smiled. "F-forget what I said. Listen, I promise, whatever it is that you're going through, I'll understand."

Matt stayed silent, unsure of what to say… or where to start. Finally, the child sighed and, without looking up at her, began to speak again. "… How about your own mom… the one that raised you since birth…"

Annabel frowned and hugged him close, gently stroking his hair. "You too, huh? It's ok sweetie, you're not alone anymore."

Matt wrapped his arms tightly around her and nuzzled into her shoulder. He'd finally told someone, it was finally out. Then why did he still feel like crying? The boy felt fresh tears well in his eyes, and his chest ached as he tried to hold back a sob. _Oh forget it_ he thought _._ He was tired of trying to hold it back. Without hesitation, Matthew buried his face into Annabel's shoulder and began to weep again. She held him close, gently running her hand over his red hair. Matt's sobbing lasted for a minute or so, then he sniffled and pulled away slowly, wiping his eyes with the heel of his hand.

"I'm sorry…" He apologized and wiped his nose. "I'm such a crybaby today." Matt let out a slight laugh, halfheartedly attempting to lighten the mood to contrast with the depressing day.

Annabel smiled a little and patted his shoulder. "It's ok. It shows you still have some life left in you."

"Heh…" Matt's smile faded into a frown. "I never thought I'd fine someone else… you know?"

The girl saddened and gently gripped his shoulder. "Would you like to talk to me about it?"

Matt wiped the last of his tears away. "I want that more than anything."

There hadn't been much talk between the two girls for the rest of the day. Inez had tried to lighten the mood and make conversation, but Jackie hardly responded. She only nodded or gave a dull "Yeah". After a while, the Hispanic girl had given up and just stayed quiet around her friend. She wasn't much happier either. She couldn't stop thinking about Matt. Neither of them could. What had they done? How could they have treated Matt like that? _I was only trying to help_ , Jackie reminded herself, but she knew she had only worsened the situation. _Matt probably hates me now._

The girls sat together in silence at break time. Jackie let out a miserable sigh every once in a while. Inez stared down at her clasped hands.

"… It wasn't your fault," the brown-haired girl said after a long silence.

The African girl sighed. "Just… stop, Inez. I know you're trying to cheer me up, but we both know the truth. It was my idea. I should have known it wouldn't work."

"We were desperate."

"But stupid." Jackie heaved another sigh. "Matt's probably terrified of us now. That look on his face…"

Inez frowned and turned her gaze to the grass.

"He'll probably never talk to us again…"

"We… we can't give up just yet, Jacks." The Hispanic girl paused for a moment. "Jackie, Matt's in trouble. Even if he won't say anything, we both know it's true. He's never acted like this before. Something's seriously wrong, and we have to help him."

"But how?!" Jackie threw her arms into the air. "We can't do anything if he won't say anything! And we can't pester him or spy on him. That'll just make things even worse!"

"He needs to know he can trust us. He needs to know we're here for him."

"And how do we do that?"

"The best we can do right now is apologize and make it up to him."

"But he won't come near us."

"Call him."

Jackie got quiet. For some reason, it had never come across her mind to call Matt. She had a cell phone. But would it work? Would he even pick up?

"It may not work, but it's the only option we really had right now."

Jackie nodded and took out her cell phone, flipping it open. She looked through her contacts and stopped as she reached Matt's number, but she didn't press _dial_. She just stared, thinking. _He won't pick up. He doesn't want to talk to me._

As if able to read her mind, Inez put a hand on her shoulder and said, "We have to try."

Jackie nodded, pressed _dial_ , put the phone to her ear, and prayed that Matthew would answer the phone.

The ginger and the brunette headed back over to the school steps together. Annabel helped Matt sit down and set his crutches aside, and then seated beside him. The young boy set his hands in his lap and kept his gaze towards the ground. Annabel leaned towards him slightly.

"Whenever you want to start, sweetie."

Matt looked at her, opening his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. _Where do I even start?_ he thought. He gripped his pant leg as he tried to think, starting to feel awkward.

"Why not start at the beginning," Annabel suggested.

Matthew let out a sigh. "When she started hating me or when she started hitting me?"

The girl frowned and gently patted his back. "How long has this been going on? I mean, when she started disliking you."

The ginger boy was silent for a moment. "About five years ago… when my dad left us."

"Why'd he leave?"

"… I'm not sure. He and mom, well… they started to fight more and more. When he left, he said it was for the best, and that mom would take care of me." Matt felt tears starting to form in his eyes again and looked up to the girl. "She says I'm the reason he wanted to leave." Annabel frowned and wrapped her arms around the ginger boy, pulling him closer. Matt sniffled and glanced down. "She tells me that I was a nuisance to him. He wanted to leave because he didn't want to be around me anymore. I was just an annoyance…. And she's probably right…"

The older child held him closer, gently stroking his fluffy hair. "Matt, don't say that. You can't let her get to you."

The child's eyes began to water. "Then why does she say that? She always loved me before, and now she hates everything I do. I must have done something to deserve it."

"Even if you did do something wrong, it doesn't give her the right to keep treating you this way."

"What about my dad? Why'd he leave the both of us? He didn't take me with him, so maybe I really was the reason he left."

"Sweetie, you don't know that. I mean, my stepdad abuses me, but I don't know why. He never says why. Sometimes… they're just a very angry person, and they want someone to put the blame on… And who easier to blame than their own child."

"… Did he use to care for you?" Matt asked hesitantly.

Annabel shook her head. "No, not really. Not in the sense your mother did. He seemed nice at first, but it was only to get my mom's trust. And, well… it wasn't hard."

The young boy looked back down to the cement steps. "You see… that's what I mean. She never treated me this way before. She loved me, she even paid for the operation and everything, and-"

"Operation?"

Matt tensed up and his face flushed slightly. "Uh… nevermind." He let a breath escape his lips. "It's just… even if what you say is true, I can't help but feel like I deserve it."

The brown-haired girl patted his back gently. "Whatever the reason, no child deserves to suffer this way. I'll help you through this, Matthew. I promise."

The young boy wrapped his arms around Annabel and hugged her tightly. For once in years, he felt safe. He'd finally met someone who could understand the pain. Someone he could go too without being afraid. For a long moment, he just sat there, hugging her as she held him close.

Matt was awakened from his bliss as his he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He let go of Annabel and quickly pulled it out, only to frown at the number. It was Jackie's.

Annabel looked to his phone screen, then back to him. "I can talk to them if you want."

The boy didn't say anything. Annabel may be able to relate to his situation, but she didn't know Jackie and Inez. She may say the wrong thing. But the ginger wasn't sure if he could even talk to them himself. However, ignoring them would just make matters worse. Taking in a deep breath, Matt pressed "talk" and put the phone to his ear.

"H-hey gu-"

"Matt!" Jackie shouted in surprise before he could finish. "Thank goodness, I thought you wouldn't pick up!"

"Heh… y-yeah."

"I'm really sorry Matt," she said in a softer tone. "I'm really sorry we scared you like that."

"We both are." It was Inez. "We're just… we're just so worried about you. You haven't been yourself lately, and it scares us."

"I'm sorry too. It's just that…" he let out another breath, "I need some space for a while."

"Are you sure we can't help?"

"It's complicated. It has nothing to do with you two, it's just that I need some… some time alone for a while."

"Ok. Thanks for saying something," Inez responded. "Just know that we're here for you, Matt."

"If something's bothering you," Jackie spoke, "it's ok for you to tell us."

"Thanks guys."

"Stays safe, man." The African girl replied.

"I-I will." Matt clicked his phone shut and stared at the electronic device as he held it in his hand. The red-haired boy looked up as Annabel placed her hand on his shoulder. He smiled at her, though the smile was a bit forced. "I'll be ok." It was a bit of a lie though. He still wanted to tell the two girls what he'd told Annabel. And how long would the "alone time" excuse work until they started to worry again?

Annabel gave a small smile and patted his shoulder. "I know you will. Now, how about the both of us get to our classes?"

The young ginger gave a nod, and together the two children strode back in through the doors of the school building.


End file.
